College of Agriculture, 

 Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y., April 1, 1905. 



Hon. Charles A. Wieting, 



Commissioner of Agriculture, Albany. 



Sir. — I herewith submit an expository bulletin on potato growing 

 in New York State, embodying the experience of the best potato 

 farmers and the results of numerous scientific experiments. 



Next to rice, the potato is probably the most extensively grown 

 and most valuable crop in the world. The potato crop of Europe in 

 value and volume exceeds the tabulated wheat crop of the world. 

 According to the last census the crop in the United States was 

 273,328,207 bushels, of which New York State produced 38,060,470 

 bushels, or slightly less than one-seventh of the entire crop of the 

 United States. The New York crop was grown on 395,640 acres of 

 land and was valued at $15,019,135. New York has ranked first in 

 potato production in everj'' census year since 1850. The average 

 yield of potatoes in the United States for a ten-year period is 84.5 

 bushels an acre and in New York State for the same period it is 81,2 

 bushels. The average yields secured in England are from 230 to 

 240 bushels; in Norway, 220 to 230; Germany, in 1903, 217 bushels; 

 In Ireland, in 1904, 159 bushels. The potato crop of the world now 

 averages about 4,500,000,000 bushels per annum. Following are 

 figures of potato crops for the year 1904: 



Acreage. Yield per acre. Total production. Value. 



U. S. 3,015,675 110.4 332,830,300 bu. 1 50 i millions of dollars 



N. Y. 442,254 93. bu. 41,129,622 bu. 22| 



Respectfully submitted, 



L. H, Bailey, Director. 

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